Ratings: ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Madam Secretary,’ ‘Quantico’ rise for key episodes (12/13/2015)

Sunday nights have hardly been a night full of ratings revelations for broadcast networks, but based on some of the latest numbers that have come in now, Sunday may have actually been a marked improvement for some series!

The winners – Aided in part by getting a lead-in from NFL football, “The Simpsons” (2.4) won big with its spoof of “Boyhood,” which was actually more touching than it was funny (a rarity for this show). Meanwhile, “Madam Secretary” (1.3), “The Good Wife” (1.1), and “Quantico” (1.3) all improved on their recent ratings for their respective winter finales. Most of these shows are probably near-locks to come back other then “The Good Wife,” but the big issue there is mostly whether or not CBS wants to continue the show past the length of some actors’ contracts.

The losers – With there being no “Once Upon a Time” on the air before hand, the season / series finale of “Blood & Oil” dropped all the way to a 0.7. If there was any evidence that this show was treading serious water, this was it. These low ratings also ensure that ABC could have their work cut out for them programming Sunday nights when we don’t have “Once Upon a Time” on the air. We certainly feel for “Galavant” when it premieres in the new year. (Please people; watch the show!)

We’ll check out tomorrow what the ratings are for Monday, which should be interesting given that you’ve got midseason finales for a few shows including “Supergirl,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and others. Stay tuned!

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